A porn-addicted homemaker feels stifled by a monotonous life of children’s gymnastics classes and moms trying to recruit her into essential oil MLMs. To escape the anxious energy that threatens to swallow her whole, Kit takes a long weekend hiking trip with her pre-motherhood best friend, Pete. While the trip is explicitly about Pete recovering from the heartbreak of being dumped by his long term boyfriend, Kit finds herself rattled by the grief of her sister’s tragic passing years ago.

This novel offers a great deconstruction of the “gay best friend” trope. Kit and Pete’s connection is not due to some innate wisdom or insight he has into straight girl life but instead is about her tether to a life and world separate from motherhood. It also does a good job of speaking to the inadequacy of self-care. Kit’s experiences with therapy, a weekend away, or cultivating friendships with other park moms don’t come remotely close to filling her with a sense of relief or purpose beyond her daily struggle.